Keith009

Le Meridien at KL Sentral

Stay duration: 1 night (I was also booked here for the 4th night of my stay run but managed to find the regular rate for the Westin just in time so I canceled my booking here for the better Westin location)

Location

The LM is located at KL Sentral, the KUL City Air Terminal which offers ITCI for CX and MH flights (and possibly one other airline which I now struggle to recall) and just 30 mins away from the airport on the KLIA Express. Convenient if one is just overnighting in KL, but very out of the way from everything else. Besides being next to the KLIA Express, the only other positive is that Bangsar, one of the pockets of nightlife in this city, is only one stop away on the metro.

Room/Decor

I was given a room on one of the highest floors of the building. My room was a bit on the small side, with a rather cramped bathroom. Unlike the Westin and SI, the LM's bathroom did not have separate shower and bath. However, it had a Japanese-style toilet with little buttons you could push for hygiene purposes... similar to those found in Japanese hotels. The bed at this property was pretty average - a little too hard for my liking and the duvet felt threadbare.















Everything about this hotel felt pretty new, and I was informed that it'd only opened 2 (or was it 3?) years ago. The decor is contemporary with a rather clean and modern look, and accented with the Le Meridien pseudo-cultural 'flair.'








The only issue I had with this property was the rather warm hallways - I think the air conditioning wasn't functioning well during my stay. Also, the lifts were extremely slow - which is an issue if you're staying on a high floor.

Service and SPG Gold recognition

Staff were generally very friendly. The restaurant staff were courteous and efficient. The porter offered to escort me to the check in counters at KL Sentral before he realised that I was off to another hotel in the city.

I liked the fact that I could dine at the Hilton next door, and still be able to charge everything to my room account.

I was offered 4pm late check out before I even asked. And I was also cheerily told that I was upgraded to an identical room on the SPG floor...

In summary, I wouldn't mind staying here again if I had to overnight in KL due to its proximity to Sentral. However the downtown location is still preferred when I'm actually visiting KL.

And that completes my experience of all 3 Starwood properties in the KL metro area. (Sheraton Subang Jaya doesn't count since it's so far out) As a whole KUL hotels are very good value - 5 star comfort at 3-4 star prices!

mario33

The existing 3 airlines with check-in facilities at Sentral are : Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Royal Brunei Airlines.

mario33

Like the Hilton next door, the building is oval shaped resulting in rooms of varying sizes. Rooms with full height bay windows are slightly larger, but your neighbour could see you if you stand by the window.

CXYYZ

Oops. In my mind I can picture signs for EK, but Royal Brunei does sound more correct!

Merlion

Had a stay there this weekend. Same likes as posters above, like dining at Hilton next door, and still be able to charge everything to my room account. Which was helpful, since Hilton's Desire and Teppnyaki place are pricey. I was offered 4pm late check out after I have asked and got a suite for my one day stay without need to ask for it.

Dislikes: Club lounge staff was very ineffective.

LarryU

I stayed at the Le Meridien for a few days in late October and quite agree with this assessment. The club lounge seemed terribly understaffed and what staff there were seemed slow, unresponsive and disorganized. In many instances, morning and evening munchies were not fully deployed more than a half hour past advertised opening times. In one case, it took the staff over 45 minutes and three reminders to bring out a requested beverage. Attending to club lounge members always seemed like an afterthought.

Incidentally, I also stayed at the Hilton while I was there and it was a superior property in nearly every respect. The club lounge was extremely well managed and always had an ample supply of friendly, attentive and responsive staff.

BiziBB

Can anyone report on whether the lounge is still run as poorly as reported by LarryU?

Unfortunately my SPG status lapsed so I had to reserve a Club room rather than get the cheapest room and get a suite upgrade, as most people here have received. :rolleyes;

Not sure if I paid over the odds, either. MYR $1410 (USD$428) for 3 nights (Amex stay 3, pay 2 nights).

Is $143/nt for a club room fair value for late January?

newself

I just stayed there last weekend and the lounge was quite small due to one side being closed for repairs. As I was checking in at reception, I was told that being a Platinum would cause me to be escorted to the club lounge to be checked in and was told to have breakfast while waiting for the paperwork.

Food was ok, small choice of alcoholic beverages, wall mounted TV, WiFi, and a great view of the city. We watched the lighting storm in the late afternoon over drinks in the lounge. Check out was also in the lounge.

LarryU

My opinion of this property has not changed appreciably since my first visit there two months ago. For example, on Tuesday I showed up in the lounge at 6:30 AM when breakfast purportedly is supposed to start. I did not have a lot of time because I needed to catch a bus to the LCCT in order to catch an early flight to KK. At 6:40 AM, the staff started top bring out some of the breakfast items and it wasn't fully deployed until about 7:00 AM. There was very little acknowledgement from the staff. If anything, I could discern more of a response from the chefs than I could from the club level concierges. I was eventually able to obtain a cup of coffee but my efforts to obtain a second cup failed. Twenty minutes after I had made a request, a simply left the club and checked out. The staff at this hotel are simply not with it. The staff at the adjoining Hilton, however, are really on the ball and their spread of food in the morning and evening is spectacular. On the other hand, if you like to drink a lot of beer, the Le Meridien might be your best choice. Beer is available all day and evening for free. ATt the Hilton, it is only free during happy hour, from 6:00 PM until 8:30 PM.

Right now, I am at the Le Meridien in Kota Kinabalu, where the staff is wonderful. This is definitely one of my favorite Starwood properties.

Elena

I have stayed at both properties and agree that the Hilton is superior by far. The rooms, the lounge, the staff, the dining... the one thing I liked about Meridien was the aroma/incense candle in the bathroom and that the lounge was far less crowded than the Hilton one (for obvious reasons). If you need a Starwood the Westin is in a nicer area and pleasant to stroll around in although the Westin itself is a very generic one. But Hilton is def the way to go and don't miss the chocolate buffet!

RTWSTARALLIANCE

Preface: Getting in those Le stays. LH flies a three cabin in to KUL from BKK. Did that as an award. 40k UA miles.

Status: P

Rate: Less than $100 US.

Transportation: You have to take the KLIA Express in. 35 R each way. You can get tickets from the agents in baggage claim. A RT would be two tickets and not one card.

Parking: n/a

Check-in: I showed my P card and was escorted to the Lounge on 33. Weird. The desk does not have a chair for clients so I just stood while he checked me in. Escorted to room by bellman. Upgraded to suite 2x59. According to the bellman these 59 rooms are the ones to get. A good size.

Perks: Upgrade and picked points as amenity.

Lounge: A large Lounge like BKK which sits on each side of the Hotel. Too late for items. They still had beer on ice and drinks out.

Room: You enter onto marble. To the right is a small table with glass candle holders. This is followed by carpet and a connector door. You have a table with lamp, sofa, table with lamp, floor to ceiling windows with a side view of the city lights, desk, tube tv with dvd player. In the middle you have two comfy chairs around a coffee table. This room has high ceilings with a nice light fixture and half bathroom.

The sleeping room is also carpet. To the right is a tv set-up, closets, windows, king bed with table lamps on each side.

Bathroom: The bathroom is marble with a single basin sink, Japanese style toilet, shower in corner and huge tub. The amenities or L'Occitane.

Internet: This is wired. Around 600 R. I have a letter which states it is comped in suites which I confirmed in the Lounge. Nice.

Gym: not been

Spa: From what I read on the desk they recommend the Spa in the Hilton complex.

Eating venues: I just walked over to Sentral for something.

Local markets: Stuff at Sentral.

Local area: Not much in this area but good connections into city proper.

Negatives: I did have some trouble getting the internet connection to work. Had to call the help desk. The room kinda has a musty smell to it. I would hate to turn off the ac.

Closing: A great place to complete Le stays. A nice staff and clean facility. A bargain in the Le world. Regards from KL.

My stay has been good. No complaints. Would stay here again over Hilton as it is usually less. HSIA is slow which has been reported. You can order eggs cooked to order in Lounge. Regards from KUL. Back to BKK for sixth Le promotion stay.

estnet

It's Sunday and I am a female by myself - I'll be in the lounge probably are 6 wearing a shirt with pictures of Koi on it - say hello if you see this.

Plat get not only free breakfast but also cocktail 6-8, including some interesting snacks - which range from almost good to "what were they thinking?"

I have to say that the quality (or lack of it) evidenced by the free food has put me off eating in any of the hotel restaurants - the lamb penang (only malaysian dish they had) one morning was tasty but the meat was 50% fat and sinew. That's fine if I'm paying 4 r but not so great when I would have been paying 20 or more if I ordered it at the hotel. That being said they have a HUGE buffet for 68 r lunch or 78 r dinner which could be a good deal if you are a big eater (surely with all the choices there would be something(s) good).
There are lots of places in sentral - a food court upstairs and lots of small shops. In addition if you cross the street from the lowest level as if going to the monorail there are lots of other choices.

btw - I just found that there is a low cost alternative to get to klia - instead of the train at 35 r or taxi for 70 (which is fine if there are 2 of you), there is a shuttle bus downstairs (2 levels down) where the low cost buses (and the crossing to the monorail) are located. It seems to run once an hour - costs 10 r and takes an hour. Think I'll try it tomorrow night as I've plenty of time.

RTWSTARALLIANCE

Sorry to have missed you. Left this morning from KUL to BKK and now at Le Meridien for stay number 6. Thanks for all the additional information.

I had a very nice breakfast this morning in the Lounge. Eggs cooked to order. Took Thai back to BKK and pleasant surprise to get a new 777 with a two cabin config.. Based upon everything I would stay at the Le over the Hilton in the future.

kluau88

I've searched and the only threads I saw were comparisons or general Kuala Lumpur hotel questions hence I'm starting a new thread.

Anyhow I was in Kuala Lumpur this past weekend and decided to stay at the Le Meridien mainly in part due to the LM promo. The Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur is located at Sentral, which is main transportation hub in KL. From KLIA it's a quick 28 minute express train ride to Sentral Station. The cost for the express train cost me about 70 MYR ($23) RT. There is no discount whether you buy a one way ticket or a round trip. Once you get off the train there are signs leading you to the Le Meridien and also the Hilton. From what I've been told the Hilton and Le Meridien are under the same ownership. Actually from what I could tell the Hilton and Le Meridien share the same entrance.

I went to the check-in desk that was designated with the Platinum & Gold sign. Upon presenting my credit card and SPG platinum card I was told that I could check-in upstairs at the Le Royal Club Lounge. I was then escorted up to the Le Royal Club Lounge on the 33rd floor where I was checked in. I booked a very basic room and was upgraded to Royal Club Suite (1259) on the 12th floor. As a platinum I was offered my choice of amenity and I chose the points. I was then escorted back down to my room. Upon learning that this was my first stay at the LM KL, I was given a tour of the suite. The suite was basically a 1 BR / 1.5 bath suite. The bathroom had both a shower and bathtub. For those who like their luxury amenities, I'm proud to say they have L'Occitane products. I had a view that overlooked the pool area. From what I learned later on it seems like rooms (xx59) are suites. There is free wired internet access from the suite.

The Le Royal Club lounge is located on the 33rd floor and is quite spacious. There is also a meeting room that could be reserved. The lounge is open from 6AM to 10PM daily. The benefits of Le Royal Club Lounge include:

- Selected buffet breakfast with freshly prepared egg dishes from 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM.
- All day refreshments including selected beers and wines.
- Evening drinks and hors d'oeuvres from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.
- Usage of laptop.
- Plasma screen with wireless headphones.
- Internet access via wireless connectivity.
- 2 hours usage of private room.

Other platinum benefits include:

- Complimentary broadband internet access in Le Royal Club and Suites.
- Daily dried fruit amenity.
- Complimentary pressing of 1 suit or garment upon arrival.
- Guaranteed late checkout at 4:00 PM.

Overall the hotel is an excellent value with good transportation options to/from the airport and also to/from the main part of town via the Monorail. I would stay here again as it was an excellent value. The only issue I had was that some of the platinum benefits I listed above weren't made aware to me until I received a letter from the Guest Experience Supervisor. Yes they sent me a letter, but not until the day I checked out which doesn't do me much good.

mario33

Poor service and very poor housekeeping (my suite bedroom had dried urine smell). Had to argue for a suite at check-in despite being given the assurance over the phone earlier (they dont seem to understand what honouring ones word is all about)

Only improvement so far is the new all-day dining restaurant where you can opt to have your breakfast. Now fully non-smoking and the selection of asian food is amazing. And the exec lounge is now also completely non-smoking ^

Room rates have gone up quite a bit here. Honestly I wouldnt stay here if not for the LM promo, the Imperial Hotel (LC) is much nicer and in a more centralised location.